Emergency stretcher contrivance for use on ski tours



June N, 1940. INSAM 2,203,909

EMERGENCY STRETCHER CONTRIVANCE FOR USE on SKI TOURS Filed April 28,1958 Theodo Ina/m 1 Patented June 11, 1940 PATENT OFFICE EMERGENCYSTRETOHER ooNrmv ncE- i FOR USE ON SKI 'ro Rs Theodor Insam, Kitzbuhel,Germany,assignr to Degenhard Graf von Wurmbrand-Stuppach,

Vienna, Germany I Application April 28, 1938, Serial No. 204,86

Thisinvention relates to emergency stretchers, more particularly forusehlo n skiing expeditions,

of the' type in which the stretcher proper is b adapted to be mounted ona pair of skis serving as runners to form a sledge for the purpose oftransporting injured persons over snow-covered country; The emergencystretcheraccording to my invention is composed of a specially designedknapsack of the type to be carried on the back and commonly known as arucksack, two poles 0011-,

stituting longitudinal carrying members, and two transverse spreadingmembers, and is adapted to bevclampedto a pair of skis by means ofsuitable bridgingmembers.

L Ehe rucksack, which serves in the extended condition for thesupportingof the injured personto be transported, consists of an elongated bagopen at both ends, and of which the lower portionis adapted to berolledor wrapped around the. transverse members and bridging members afterthese two sets of members have been folded yup together to form aU-shaped unit. For this purpose the clamping devices provided at theends of the bridging members are furnished with specially fittedprotecting caps or pouches which are connected together by means of astrap or band adapted to bear against the small of the back when theemergency stretcher is being carried and thus to distribute the load.The emergency stretcher according to themvention is easily and rapidlyfolded up and unfolded. Its weight and bulk do not exceed greatly thoseof a normal rucksack, so that when car+ ried on a skiing tour, even overlong distances, it entails a hardly noticeable additional load. A formof construction embodying the invention isshown, by way of example, inthe accominvention.

panying drawing, in which:

the length of the contrivance according to the Fig.2 is a plan view ofthe same.

Referring to the drawing, the skis I serving as runners are coupledtogether for example by means of two U-shaped bridging members 2 of suchcross-sectional shape as to resist bending, e. g.; L. orT-shapedcross-section, and made for, instance of iron or preferablyoflightmetal. At

able relatively to each other and provided with Fig. 1 is an elevationlooking in the direction of In Austria March 12, 1938 p 2 Claims. (01.280-12) gripping elements 4, I bent over at right angles, the plate 6being for example longitudinally guided in keeping means 5 on the otherplate 3. On one of the two plates, e, g., on the plate 6,

. the nut 8. screwing in of the screw l3 causes the gripping elements 4,l pertaining to the .two

plates 3, B to be drawn together and pressed An addiagainst the narrowsides of the skis. tional clamping action against the ski may then beexerted by tightening up the screw 9.

To the bridging members 2 there are clamped the likewise substantiallyU-shaped transverse strutmembers l4, for example as shown in Figs. 1 and2 by means of detachable wing screws. IS. The limbs] l5 intended for thereception of the longitudinal carrying members are equipped with slotsI! through which for example a second pair of skis It may be passed toserve as longitudinal members. It will be clear that narrow battens ofany kind, ski sticks, or the like may alternatively be used for thispurpose. At the ends of the limbs I5 there are further provided engagingapertures 19 for the attachment of straps or the like. Instead of wingscrews "3 for connecting the members M and 2 together there mayalternatively be used hinges, in which case the assembling of thestretcher for use merely necessitates hinging up of the transversemembers [4 and may therefore be effected more rapidly than with thepreviously described form of construction.

Bayonet-joints may also if desired be provided for the same purpose.

The emergency stretcher sledge contrivance according to the inventionalso has the advantage of making it unnecessary to lift the'injuredperson off the stretcher and to transfer him into an ambulance vehicle,a procedure. which is often exceedingly painful and troublesome, since,after slackening the screws I6 or disengaging the hinges orbayonet-joints used in place of these screws, the stretcher proper,together with its load, may be lifted bodily 01? the improvised sledgeframe consisting of the parts I and 2, If

. the members 2 and M are indissolubly connected together the clampingdevices may be loosened and detached from the skis constituting therunners of the sledge, by slackening of the screws 9 and [3.

To form the hammock for the supporting of the injured person there isused a specially designed rucksack which consists of a sack or bag openat both ends and adapted to be unfolded or extended to the requiredlength of the stretcher. After unrolling, the body of the rucksack issimply passed over the longitudinal carrying members of the stretcher,and then constitutes a slightly sagging resilient hammock 20, while thelongitudinal carrying members l8 consisting for example of skis supportthe injured person effectively at the sides, so that no strapping downof the injured person on to the stretcher is necessary. The hammock 20has cutaway portions 2! intermediate its ends.

For the purpose of packing up the emergency stretcher contrivance fortransport the bridging members 2 and the transverse strut members I lare adapted to be folded up to form a U-shaped unit.

Finally, the emergency stretcher contrivance according to the inventionmay alsoybe used as a reclining chair, for which purpose skis andskisticks are used to form a frame and the unrolled rucksack to form ahammock.

I claim: 7 1. An emergency stretcher contrivance comsaid screw andfirmly mounted on the said plate 6 there bears a pressing up screw l3pertaining to the plate 3 and adapted to exert a pressing action in adirection parallel to the plane of the,

said plate.

2/111 an emergency stretcher, an inverted U- 5 shape-dbridging member, apair of clamping plates carried by each end of said member, the platesof a pair being slidable relatively to one another and each having a bargripper, oneof said plates being slotted, a nut member secured to theother of said plates and projecting through said slot, a clampingscrewpassing through said nut for engaging a bar held by said grippers, and

a pressure screw carried by the slotted plate and 2a engaging the sideofsaid nut.

' TI-IEODOR'INSAM.

